House of Mirrors
by the-vampire-act
Summary: The team takes Jack and Henry to what they think is just a normal circus, but they soon realize that the ring master isn't going to let them go. Halloween fic.
1. A Grand Welcoming

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. It's been hell over here...**

**House of Mirrors-Fun and Games**

Spencer Reid woke up to the sounds of crispy leaves and howling winds hitting against his window and promising of another cloudy fall day-and his cell phone screeching at him on full blast. The young agent inwardly groaned; he had been looking forward to the day off his team had been promised, but he should have known better than to think they'd actually get it. "Hello?"

"Spence, hey!"

"JJ?" Maybe it was better news than he thought it would be. "What's up?"

"Well, I know it's not really your thing, but we're taking Henry to some circus that's in town. We asked Hotch if he wanted to bring Jack, too, and it looks like the whole team's going now…." She let the 'will you come?' hang in the air wordlessly.

"Oh? When should I be there?" Reid grinned. How could he pass up an opportunity to see Henry again?

"Great!" JJ cheered. "We'll pick you up at noon, actually." She hadn't really expected him to say no, obviously, and had already been prepared to answer the question.

"Sounds like a plan," Reid nodded. "I'll see you then."

"Bye!" With that, she hung up.

Reid pocketed his cell phone before heading to his small kitchenette. He then made himself a cup of coffee while cleaning his apartment as he waited for noon to come around. Although he was more than a bit excited to see Henry, he was also a bit nervous. It had been a while since they had last interacted; he couldn't help but wonder if Henry would still even recognize him. His thoughts were halted, though, when his apartment door was being buzzed. "Crap," he muttered. He hadn't even started getting his shoes on or anything! "Hang on!" he yelled through the intercom. Seeing JJ's hand form the 'okay' signal he rushed back to his bedroom to grab his converse shoes- and his purple scarf. It looked a bit chilly outside, and being born in Las Vegas, even the slightest bit of a breeze felt overwhelmingly cold to him despite how long he'd actually been living in Virginia. Finally he had his messenger bag on his shoulder and keys in his hand. He was ready to go.

"Good to see you again, Spence." JJ smiled kindly as she watched Reid descend down the staircase. The nervous man just smiled back and quickly jogged to catch up to her. Soon enough they were both in the car with Will and Henry driving off to the circus. For most of the ride Henry had taken to giggling on Reid's lap as he made funny faces, much to JJ and Will's amusement. Eventually Henry became tired, though, and quickly fell to sleep. "Here," Will grinned, "let's put him back in his seat."

"Thanks," Reid laughed, passing Henry off to his father.

The rest of the ride was full of comfortable chatter and catching up. Time flew by as they drove the hour and a half that the circus was away from the Quantico area, and soon enough they were parked in a decent space and heading toward the front of the circus. Henry was in Reid's arms as they approached the gate, where they saw the rest of the team standing and waiting. "Pretty Boy," Morgan snickered. "See JJ? I knew if you brought Henry he'd come!"

"What-?" Reid frowned. The rest of the team had to smile at that.

"Never mind Spence," JJ rolled her eyes. "Come on guys, let's go."

The team nodded as they shuffled through to the 'Ticket Center'. A few minutes later the group was on the other side of the gate, and what they saw puzzled them. The circus had been opened for hours, but yet there was no one else there. Of course that raised a few bells in their heads, but they decided not to think much of it. It was fall time now; the air was getting chillier and the wind wispier. Maybe the other people were just afraid of the colder weather- or maybe there was another event going on around the town.

"Oh, look!" Garcia suddenly cheered. "There's a juggler!" The whole team in return turned their heads to see a gothic-looking young man tossing three balls up and down in the air. His face was solemn and was completely covered in black and white make-up, something Garcia found almost intriguing. The sight made Reid frown, however; he hadn't been expecting to see such sad looking make-up in a circus. 'Not that I've ever been to one before,' he mumbled in his head.

"Come on," Hotch said quietly, placing his hand on Jack's shoulder, "let's go check out when the next show begins."

Rossi looked around the circus grounds with a carefully placed frown. Something wasn't right about the whole charade- he just couldn't put his finger on it. The juggler hadn't been that much of a shock to him at all, though. He had read somewhere that a lot of circuses were starting to go 'gothic' to get a younger crowd to come to them.

"Hmm, looks like the next one starts in less than fifteen minutes," Hotch informed them.

"Should we go get seats?" Prentiss asked. It was almost sarcastic, though, as when she looked around no one was there. Absolutely _no one_, to be exact.

"Sure," Will murmured. He, like the other adults, was about ready to turn around and go some place else. Maybe the kids would enjoy a trip to the zoo better than the Hot Topic inspired circus. "You know, maybe we should go to the zoo instead-"

"Well, but the show's just about to begin!"

The voice came from behind the team. Everyone turned around to see and semi-muscular man in his early 30's with pitch-black hair and matching make-up. On top of his head laid an old-fashioned showman hat with a rich, purple ribbon above its brim. The fake cane he held in his hand and the cape he donned told Hotch that he was the show runner.

"Um, sorry sir-"

"Please, my name is Cole," he grinned devilishly.

"Sorry, Cole, but I was just wondering if my son wouldn't enjoy the zoo better," Will replied respectfully- and a bit cautiously.

"Hmm," Cole mused, "how about we ask him?"

"You could try, but I don't think it'll work," JJ replied, motioning to the baby in 'Spence's' arms.

"I see," Cole nodded. "Well, about this young man?" The black-haired man leaned down to see the child at Jack's own height. "Do you want to see the circus?" Jack just smiled and nodded his head, completely oblivious to his father's growing discomfort. "It's settled then!" the man smiled. "The circus it is!" Suddenly the man waved to the group and made his way into the arena. He needed to prepare for the show, after all.

"I don't like this," JJ whispered to Will.

"Yeah, neither do I."

Despite their ill-fated feelings about the matter they moved on into the building with the rest of the team. To no one's surprise no one was seated inside. 'At least we'll get good seats,' Morgan thought dryly. The agents quickly chose seats in the third row-not too close but not too far- and waited patiently for the show to begin.

"Something seems a little off with that Cole character," Morgan grumbled to Reid. The younger man just nodded, unsure what else he could possibly say. Of course he agreed with Morgan, and he knew that everyone else felt the same way. They couldn't leave now, though, it was too late. 'And besides,' Reid admitted to himself, 'I really don't want to see what might happen if we try to leave.'

And then the sound of a someone clicking a mic to check it filled the loud speakers. Suddenly the entrance behind them was closed, the lights were dimmed, and the man who had introduced himself as Cole was smiling viciously on the stage.

"Good evening, ladies and gentleman," he announced in a good-natured tone. All that vanished, however, as more people dressed similarly as he took the stage. "Welcome to hell."


	2. Fun and Games

**A/N: I guessed everyone's age. If I'm wrong, please just kindly say so (though I won't be able to change it anyways). Barely edited. I wanted to get it up- what can I say? **

**House of Mirrors-Fun and Games**

Aaron Hotchner wasted no time responding. He should have trusted his gut instinct, and now he would to have risk his life-and more importantly, the lives of his son and his team-as a consequence of that. As he ran for the door, his team trailing behind him, the cast of characters on the stage descended up them. A man with short, white hair and an almost army-styled jacket wrapped his strong arms around Hotch and threw him to the ground. He grabbed the gun Hotch had been grabbing for and then whipped him over the head with it. Almost immediately he was knocked out. Jack let out a scream, but a petite woman with bright red lips and cherry-colored cheeks hushed him and whisked him away from the scene.

"Will, take Henry," JJ whispered, her eyes motioning to a small crack in the door. "Get him out of here!" If she could find Jack she'd tell him to run out with Will and Henry. Unfortunately her boss's son was no where to be found.

"No, you go-" Will argued, but he was effectively cut off by a sharp shake of the head.

"Go!" JJ ran out in front of her husband so that the other circus freaks wouldn't see him. Unfortunately a smaller boy with shaggy, dirty hair noticed and screamed at someone to stop them. The larger man who had taken Hotch down immediately jumped on the task, but Rossi was faster. He threw himself on top of the man, effectively allowing enough time for Will and Henry to escape. "Rossi, go! Get help," JJ hissed at him. He had enough time to make a run for it-the more people they got out the better. The blonde watched as Rossi made it out, grimly thinking that they were lucky to have gotten that many out. Faster than she could react, however, someone came up from behind her and threw a cloth against her mouth. She wasn't even awake long enough to feel her own body slump to the floor.

"JJ!" Garcia gasped, her eyes lighting up in horror. "No!"

"Get down!" Cole yelled. "Don't fight us-you're not going to win." The remaining members of the team- Reid, Garcia, Prentiss, and Morgan along with Jack- knew that he was right. There were easily over eleven men and only four left of them, one of which wasn't even a trained field agent. Fighting now would just add to their pain, and it was obvious that there was no escaping now that the entrance had been completely sealed off. "Good," Cole grinned. "It's good you won't make me kill you…Yet, anyways." The ringmaster watched as the agents dropped to the floor, the circus members then crowding around them with ropes and gags. As they proceeded to tie up the BAU members the other members of the team started waking back up. Only then did Cole smile again and carry on.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to the circus. There will be six acts today, not including our special finale. The length of the acts and the order in which they appear will be entirely randomized. Each one of the adults here today will pick one of these cards in my hand." Cole stopped to show them the front side of said cards. "On the back of these cards lay one out of ten possible scenarios. If you're lucky, you won't chose one of the more, well, _dangerous _acts," Cole smirked. "The acts will be in age order- oldest to youngest, and the only way to get out of this miserable place is by successfully completing the acts. My friend, Benjamin, will be the one delivering the cards while I start setting up the events. Good luck everyone- I truly wish you all the best." Cole then dropped the ten 'fate cards' in a neat pile before he started heading toward the left exit. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, however, and turned back to the group.. "Oh, and when I said you have to successfully complete the acts to leave, I meant all of you have to be successful to leave."

Without another word he swiftly moved across the circus grounds and exited the BAU's field of vision. In his place walked in a dirt blonde with the deck of cards in his hands. He didn't smile or smirk lie Cole had preferred to, though. His face remained straight and emotionless, as if he was practicing some sort of poker face. The team immediately became fearful when the young man approached Hotch, and only then did they realize the graveness of their situation. "Pick a card," Benjamin instructed. The profiler hesitantly reached up at the cards with his bound hands and chose the middle card. He found it hard to focus on what his decision might bring to him or his team, though, because he was still trying to figure out what would happen to Jack. His son's fate hadn't been mentioned once, and it was starting to make him worry. He was jolted back to reality when Benjamin moved on to the next person, however, and as he waited for each and every team member to take a card he closed his eyes and prayed for the best- even if he couldn't help but mentally prepare for the worse.

"I wish you all the best," Benjamin repeated before recollecting the cards in age order. As he went along he added everyone's initials just in case he dropped them. "Cole will be with you shortly." Then, after quickly taking in every team member's expression, the blonde tip-toed back out of the room.

It was all Spencer Reid could do to keep the fear out of his eyes. He knew that he had taken one of the four cards Cole had warned them about. The good news was that someone on his team hadn't picked it, at least. A moment of relief washed over him as a result of that revelation, but fear was still present. Reid knew that he'd now have to successfully complete his 'act' if they were ever to escape, and there was still the chance that someone on the team got a worse card from him.

Shaking off his thoughts he sighed and looked around at his team members. Hotch remained as emotionless as ever, giving no tell-tale signs of what his card held. Both Morgan and Garcia stared blankly at the floor. He hoped that they had gotten easy acts, and that they were embarrassed and upset about it when they were positive the rest of the team were screwed. JJ was studying the team just like himself, leading him to believe that her card might even been harder than his. Prentiss was still staring at her card, almost looking confused. Finally she just sighed and turned her card around in her hand. Everyone in the room peered over to look at the card, and they exchanged looks similar to the one Prentiss had of confusion. Prentiss put her card down and motioned for the team to do the same. One by one they revealed their cards, and soon enough everyone knew who had what acts- and knew who had the most challenging ones.

The door suddenly opened and everyone quickly hid their cards again. JJ and Reid exchanged worried looks before Benjamin pointed at Hotch. "You're up," he said calmly, "I hope your ready."


	3. Not a Domestic Pet

**A/N: I did get written (well, Twitter) permission for Derrick Prince of MasterChef USA Season 2 to use his name. I posted the tweets of it on my FaceBook page 'the vampire act'. And also, please don't throw 'animals don't have fun in circuses' in my face. I am very aware of that, as are many others. ONE more thing-sorry- the tricks preformed in this chapter? I've seen them all done in a real circus. Sadly. **

**House of Mirrors- Not a Domestic Pet **

Benjamin quickly undid Aaron Hotchner's ties and removed the duck tape that had been strategically placed against his mouth. He waited for the older man to stand before escorting him out onto the stage. "Good luck," Benjamin said again before leaving the agent's side. Hotch's eyes scanned over the single bench that had been placed in front of the 'stage'. Not thinking much of it he looked up at the blue and red circus decorations thrown up on the walls. Finally he looked at the stage and his stomach fell. There was a large cage with a curtain over it, and only then did he realize what exactly his card meant.

'Lion trainer.'

Damn.

Suddenly the back of the room opened up,and out from it appeared his team. Benjamin stood behind the group with a large, very pointy knife in his hand. Hotch sighed; even if they wanted to fight him they'd be dead before they could even turn around. Quickly and silently they made their way to the single bench and sat down. He'd have an audience.

Double-damn.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Cole smiled as he made his way on to the stage, "welcome to Hell. My name is Cole, and I will be your ring master for tonight." He stopped in his speech to smile at the audience and observe their behavior. 'They're afraid', he thought, 'Good.' As he started pacing the stage, he began to speak again. "I have planned for you six acts. Don't worry, though. Over the course of the night there will also be two special events and of course the grand finale. Right now, however, we begin at the beginning."

Hotch watched Cole parade around the place with a grim look. He knew nothing about lions. How was he supposed to 'train' one? "You're on," a voice whispered from behind him. A lean man with reddish hair smiled nervously at him. He could tell by his more 'normal' attire that he wasn't apart of the show. 'Lighting?' Hotch guessed at. He seemed to be the more 'technological' type. Maybe he did the special effects and what-not. Before the section chief could fully profile him, though, he was being whisked away on the stage by a finely-built man wearing a pair of Capri-length pants and a black, tight-fitting jacket. By the whip in his hand Hotch deduced he was their lion trainer.

"Ladies and gentleman," Cole announced with pride, "here come the lion trainers, Alec and Aaron!"

"Thank you, thank you," Alec beamed as he took Cole's place on the stage. "My friend here, Aaron, is going to assist me in my performance today. In fact, I'm going to be assisting him!" He paused so he could take the curtain off the lion cage and start setting up for the act. "My other friend, Oliver, will be showing off some tricks for us. Isn't that grand?"

Derek Morgan watched from the audience in horror. What in the world was going on? He couldn't tell if Alec thought there was an actual audience of if Cole had told him to act like there was. The lion trainer didn't pause for applause or anything, leading Morgan to believe that he was doing it for Cole. 'So Cole's the psychotic one, and the rest of them are just playing along? But why?' Morgan put his eyes back on Hotch for a minute; he seemed just as confused as he was, a fact that made Morgan just a bit more worried.

The profiler looked around the stage to see if there was anything that could help him decipher anything at all about the circus or the people in it. He was about to give up when he saw a red-headed man standing behind the curtain. Luckily Morgan could see past the curtain from where he was seated, so he could get a better glimpse of the man than the rest of the team. The man was frowning unlike the rest of the staff. And he wasn't dressed in the 'costumes' that everyone else was. At a second glance Morgan spotted the bag around his shoulders, similar to Reid's own bag. 'First aid', Morgan concluded before turning back to Hotch. Part of him begged him not to look back, though. Did he really want to see what might happen? No, but he knew Hotch needed the team to be confident he could complete the 'performance'. That was exactly what he planned on giving Hotch. He looked his boss straight in the eye and nodded, knowing that the gesture wouldn't go unnoticed by the older profiler.

"For our first act, Aaron here is going to make Oliver jump through the rings of fire." Alec then proceeded to light the rings on fire. "Now," he added as he sat the last ring on fire, "keep in mind that Oliver's no domestic pet. He could decide to 'go rouge' without a second's notice."

'That's reassuring,' Hotch thought grimly to himself. How was he supposed to successfully do this? He knew nothing about lions, let alone how to make them jump through a freaking fire ring. Suddenly, as the whip was tossed to him and Alec gestured for him begin, a thought occurred to him. Like he had deduced earlier, the 'staff' of the circus were pretending there was a huge audience for Cole. Alec was doing that now, too. He had profiled them- that's how he knew what they were doing. Why couldn't he profile the lion and play along with the act to do it? It's what they wanted, anyways, and Hotch knew that if he didn't play along there would be hell to pay. He sighed before he paced around the lion's cage, finally ready to begin.

"Good evening, everyone," Hotch started, though his eyes never left the lion's. He watched as the lion followed him- but not like pray, like he could help him. The dark-haired man could guess that Oliver didn't like being in a cage all day and only being let out to entertain humans. Maybe he could gain its trust and get it to do its tricks not because of his command but because of past training and memory. "Oliver here is about ready to perform." Hotch could tell that the lion didn't much care for Alec. Perhaps he'd do the tricks for him just to show his 'trainer' that he wasn't the reason why he still did the tricks.

Suddenly the lion's cage was opened, and Oliver darted straight out of it. The lion immediately sat down, however, and waited to be told what to do. Lucky for Hotch, Oliver had been very well trained, apparently. Hotch then took his whip and lightly tapped the animal's behind. The creature stood up in response. Unsure what else to do he hit him again, and this time the lion started pacing around the first ring. "Jump, Oliver!" Hotch tried. At first the lion seemed confused, but when it saw Hotch point to the ring, it understood. Without further instruction he jumped through the ring of fire. Hotch couldn't help but smile; it was working. Again he hit him and gave him the command 'Jump, Oliver', and he did just that. Finally he got through the last ring and Alec applauded.

"Well done, well done!" he praised. "Come on, Oliver, how about one last stunt?" Obediently the lion came to his master. "Maybe we should have our new friend perform the last trick! You agree, don't you Oliver?" Alec stated it more than he questioned it, though, and Hotch couldn't help but think that PETA would have a field day with this circus.

Out of the corner of his eye Morgan saw the red-head get nervous again. This time he almost looked afraid, though, and that sent him a little bit over the edge. What the hell was Alec doing? He turned his head around so he could look at his team members, all of them looking almost as worried as the kid was. Reid suddenly locked eyes with Morgan and motioned behind the curtain that the older profiler had just been staring at. So Reid had seen it to? That was almost reassuring, until he realized what it truly meant. He wasn't reading to much into things- in fact, he was spot on. The red head was preparing for the worse, and so Morgan did too. He closed his eyes and looked away. Whatever was about to happen wasnt something he wanted to see. Suddenly Garcia leaned on to Morgan's shoulder and shut her eyes tightly. Morgan wished he could undo his binds and hold his Baby Girl; she had to be just as scared as he was. 'Sorry Hotch,' he thought to himself. 'I just can't watch whatever might happen.'

Suddenly Alec bolted to his feet and motioned for Hotch to follow him. The agent did, and so did the lion. A few seconds later a stool was brought out and the lion was sitting on it. "Open wide, Oliver!" he said with a loud whip. The lion compiled. Hotch's face fell as he saw the animal's teeth, dread washing over him. He had a bad feeling he knew exactly what Alec wanted him to do. "Come on Aaron, put your head in there already!"

If Hotch's team hadn't been tied and gagged, the section leader was more than positive he would have heard them gasping and screaming. Even now he could tell they were trying to make noise. The gags were too effective, though, and their sounds went hollow in the air. Thus far he'd been lucky, though, and profiling the lion had led him to discover what Oliver was comfortable and uncomfortable with. He could tell the lion didn't necessarily enjoy having a human's head in his mouth, but he trusted the lion more than he did Alec. Hotch decided to try and use that to his advantage as best as he could.

Without another word he leaned forward and slowly made his way to the lion. Finally his head reached the lion's mouth. When his head was completely inside it he started to feel the lion squirm. Luckily it instantly stilled itself once it realized he wasn't 'leaving' yet, and it behaved a bit better. The entire time Hotch kept his eyes closed. There were just certain things that even a seasoned profiler like himself shouldn't experience.

"All right," Alec laughed, "you can come out now."

Hotch didn't hesitate to get his head the hell out of the lion's mouth. Unfortunately he hadn't been very careful and scraped his head against a few of the lion's teeth. Oliver spat the human blood out of his mouth, obviously not caring for it. That made Hotch take a long, deep breath. It seemed the lion didn't much care for the taste of humans.

"Go back stage now," Alec instructed. "Derrick will clean you up and get you seated for the next performance. But first, take a bow!" Hotch leaned forward, blood now seeping from his wounds due to pressure, and hurried off stage.

"In just a moment my lovely friend will join us for round two. I hope you're all ready." Then Alec too bowed and scurried off stage.

When the curtains were closed the red-headed man Hotch had spotted earlier came dashing to his side. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly, almost as if he was afraid someone would overhear him.

"Other than the lion teeth marks on my head? I'm fine," Hotch sighed.

"Sorry," he said grimly. Then, he added, "This might sting a little bit, but I need to clean it before it gets infected." And it did indeed sting- a whole lot. He seemed to catch onto the profiler's discomfort, and he attempted to help distract him from the pain. "What's your name?"

"Aaron Hotchner," he replied, although he was almost positive he already knew that. "And yours?"

"Derrick- Derrick Prince," he smiled kindly as he threw away used wrappers and put a band-aid over one of the scars left by the lion's teeth. "It's not much, but it should hold out for now. If I see it get worse I'll try to figure something else out."

The young man, Derrick, wasn't like the other members. He seemed almost shy, and more than a bit on-edge. He was obviously uncomfortable with what was going on, so why was he with them? "Why are you here?" Hotch let slip off his tongue. At first he didn't even register that he had spoken it out loud, and he almost felt bad for asking. It was obvious that Derrick was uncomfortable; he didn't want to push him over the edge and make him feel even more uncomfortable. "I'm sorry," he quickly said. "You don't have to answer that…."

"I didn't have a choice," Derrick sighed. "I was-"

"That's enough," Cole sneered as he snuck up from behind them. "We're ready for Miss Prentiss to perform."

"Right, sorry Cole," Derrick frowned.

"Just don't let it happen aga-"

"Shall I escort Mr. Hotchner back to the audience?" Benjamin cut in, saving Derrick from being scolded even more. The worried look that he shot Derrick too didn't go unnoticed by Hotch, but he darted his eyes away from Benjamin and Derrick so neither of them would get into any more trouble.

"Yes," Cole nodded. "Bring the black-haired girl back with you."

Benjamin just nodded as he waited for Hotch to stand up again, an act that was done gingerly and pain-filled. Derrick hid his face as he stood up, not wanting his sad facial expression to get him yelled at again. Hotch frowned as he was walked out of the room, his thoughts racing. So far Derrick seemed like the only one uncomfortable with the 'acts'. Why were they being forced to perform, anyways? It was obviously being done for Cole, but why? Hotch just shook his head and sat down next to his friends, watching as Prentiss was whisked away to the back of the stage.

What the hell was going on?


	4. Now You See it

**House of Mirrors- Now You See it….**

Emily Prentiss had no clue what diabolo was. She had no idea what skills were required for it, what it consisted of, or even the tools used to perform it. So when Benjamin came back into her sight with a piece of rope and a stick on either end of the rope, she was at a loss of what to do with it. Seeing her confusion he almost smirked. "I see you have no clue what diabolo is." The BAU agent kept quiet, though. She didn't want to feed whatever fantasy he was in or accidentally respond in a way that would trigger a reaction from him. "No worries- my dear friend Genevieve will be able to help you." The man waved a finger over toward the sideline, and almost immediately a petite girl in a black tutu and white ballet shoes gracefully slid her way across the room. Benjamin smiled at her and handed over the stick and rope.

Prentiss was about to slip into 'profiler mode' when Genevieve placed something else in her hand. It was a piece of semi-bendable plastic with a thin middle that dramatically got thicker as it reached the end. She immediately noticed that the grove in the middle of it was just the right size for the rope to slip through it. Then she realized what diabolo was- she had actually seen it before but had never known what it was called. They wanted her to place the plastic toy on the rope and do 'neat tricks' with it like throwing it up and down. 'Wonderful', she thought. The profiler recalled one of her distant cousins trying to master the art when they were younger, and she had failed miserably even then. If she couldn't do it now, much more than embarrassment was on the line; it could mean a far worse outcome for her team….

"I'll give you twenty minutes to practice with Genevieve. After that, well, let's just hope your practice goes well. Good luck, ladies." Without another word Benjamin removed himself from the room.

Once he was gone, Genevieve smiled at Prentiss and extended her hand. "I'm sorry to meet under these circumstances," she said. "I really do hope you're a quick study."

"Yeah, me too," Prentiss sighed.

The other woman smiled back sadly before taking the rope from Prentiss's hand. She then placed the rubber piece in the direct middle. "The first few times are always the hardest, but after a while I think you'll get the hang of it." She quickly started rolling it around the sticks' rope and said, "Now you see it…" Suddenly she threw it up in the air-high. "And now you don't." A few seconds later it fell neatly back into place. Genevieve did this a few times before she stopped and gave it back to Prentiss. "Your turn- you think you're ready?"

"Of course not," Prentiss laughed humorlessly. Although the younger woman was one of her captors, she couldn't help but feel compelled to be nice to her. After all, Genevieve seemed like she was being helpful to her. Maybe she wasn't at the circus by choice; maybe she was there by _force_.

"Give it a shot," Genevieve encouraged. Prentiss then mimicked the petite woman's actions, of course unsuccessfully. She had thrown it up, but it landed across the room. "Damn it," she cursed as Genevieve ran to retrieve it. Wordlessly Prentiss was given the object and prompted to try again. Yet still she screwed up, and when she tried the third time she also didn't make it. "You can do it," Genevieve smiled. "Just keep at it, all right?"

"Right," she grumbled back. Just as she went to toss the diabolo toy in the air, however, Benjamin made his way back in the room.

"How's it going ladies?" he asked. He didn't wait for an answer, though. "On with the show!" Genevieve frowned before nodding her head. She waved goodbye at Prentiss and made her way back to wherever she had been previous to the BAU's arrival. "Come on, Emily. Your audience is waiting."

The pair made their way to center stage, though only Benjamin was smiling. "Our friend, Emily Prentiss, is going to perform some diabolo for you today- or so, if she is able to." Benjamin's eyes darted off the stage, where Derrick was now waiting in his usual spot again. Opposite of him Genevieve appeared with a different diabolo set. She whispered something in Derrick's ear that made him smile. Quickly she wiped the smile off her face and made her way on stage. Then, he continued with, "Please enjoy the show."

Genevieve passed the set to Prentiss with a smile. "It's magnetic- a beginner's set," she whispered. "Just throw it lighter than you did before-but don't make it obvious. Benny and Cole don't know it's rigged." She patted Prentiss's arm reassuringly before stepping off to the side line. Now she could only hope that their 'little trick' would work.

"Go on now Emily- the stage is yours!" the man said cheerfully.

Prentiss knew that if she hesitated she wouldn't be able to bring herself to go through with the 'trick'. So without any hesitation the dark-haired woman placed the 'plastic' on the almost suspiciously black 'rope' and tossed it gently into the air. Miraculously it landed right in the middle, and only then did Prentiss allow herself to smile. She repeated the trick a few more times before she threw it just a bit higher and started doing some of the tricks she had seen Genevieve do. Finally she removed it from the rope and smiled nervously down at her team. Prentiss knew the forced smiles on their own faces were meant to be helpful and reassuring, but she couldn't help but feel that they were doing just the opposite.

And then something suddenly dawned on her. Benjamin came on the stage this time- not Cole. Silently she wondered where the ringmaster was, as he had introduced himself as the announcer of the events. Inside the profiler couldn't help but feel a bit more on edge. Something was wrong-but what was it?

"Good job, Emily. Take a bow!" Benjamin smiled. "Now, let's get ready for the next….act."

The hesitation before 'act' made Prentiss even more suspicious, and by the glances she could see of her team, they had noticed it too. As she was taken off-stage Cole appeared in her site again. The man smiled and waved at her before taking back the stage. She was unfortunately right; he _was _planning something. Before Benjamin took her off the stage where she could better study her colleagues, the red-headed man she had spotted earlier on came up to her.

"Are you all right?" he asked quietly. The man was obviously not finding the circus amusing like the other 'performers' were, so why was he here…?

"I'm fine, thank you," she smiled reassuringly.

"I'm glad," he smiled back. Before he could say anything else, however, Benjamin roughly threw himself in front of the other man, blocking him from saying anything else. He then lead her off the stage and sat her down next to Hotch. Without another word he vanished.

"Ladies and gentleman," Cole announced loudly, "I hope you've enjoyed the show so far, but now we're going to take a pause for a special event. I will be waiting for one volunteer- _not _a performer- to come assist me in the performance. So, any volunteers?" Immediately Hotch stood up, but Cole shook his head. "You've already performed, Dear Aaron. Any others?"

Reid's eyes narrowed around his team members. He saw Morgan about to stand, but he himself was about to as well. When he turned his head, however, he saw that JJ was already standing.

Cole smiled at her as Benjamin went to retrieve her from the audience. "Thank you, my dear. I promise you won't be sorry."

But as she approached the stage, Benjamin to her left side, she realized that she already was.


	5. HighFlying Adventures

**Happy almost Halloween. Barely edited, but I wanted to get something posted before Halloween. I apologize in advance for any errors.**

**House of Mirrors- High-Flying Adventures**

_Cole smiled at her as Benjamin went to retrieve her from the audience. "Thank you, my dear. I promise you won't be sorry." But as she approached the stage, Benjamin to her left side, she realized that she already was. _

"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight you will see something of a most astounding nature. With the help of my four friends and my lovely new assistant, you all are about to embark on a high-flying adventure." Cole smiled brightly and threw his hands up in the air as he spoke. JJ couldn't help but frown at the whole charade. She had a bad feeling about what might happen next.

Then, as if on cue, Cole dramatically threw his hands back down and music started filling the air. One by one, two women accompanied by two men started a well-rehearsed acrobatic show from above the crowd. They followed each other as they performed a few basic tricks- spinning around swing-like bars, flipping from rope to rope, and even occasionally doubling up and relying on each other to stay up in the air. Eventually the music died, though, and the four performers halted their acts.

"My friends here consist of Genevieve-" He halted so that the petite woman could wave. "Sarah-" A dirty-blond with thick red lips and a matching red outfit smiled. "Silas-" The brown-haired man smiled at the crowd before he did a showy flip on his bar. "And Clement." Finally the last man nodded his head, his tight-fitting black suit clinging to him in a way that looked very uncomfortable. JJ studied the four acrobatics performers carefully and easily deduced that Silas was the youngest- and by the way that Sarah and the others kept glancing over one another they were nervous. The liaison suddenly regretted coming up even more now.

"JJ, do you want to know what you will be doing for this special event?" Cole asked. JJ just nodded, unsure how else to respond. Before she knew it she was being led over to a large table with different levers laying on top of it. Each one had a different number and a different color. "The ropes hanging from the ceiling seem to be loose," Cole frowned less than sincerely. "The unfortunate part is that we don't know which ones. So as they perform for us, it's your job to find out which levers control which ropes and pull them down or up to tighten them. The fun part is that you have to guess which levers control which ropes. Do you think you're ready?" Before JJ could respond, however, Cole was already walking off the stage.

Suddenly music started playing, and the four acrobats frowned from above. The special event wasn't fair- how was she supposed to complete it successfully without hurting one of them in the meantime? "Don't worry about us," JJ heard one of them-Silas, maybe- call out to her. The others nodded in agreement; whatever would happen next wasn't the blonde's fault- it was Cole's. The sentiment did little to ease her anxieties, however. The liaison still found herself dreading the first wire break. Her fears, she knew, were about to be put to the test. She took a deep breath and watched as the second left wire broke. JJ's hands slid over the lever closest to her and pulled it. Unfortunately nothing happened, so she quickly pulled it back and tried the next one. Still nothing. She repeated the pattern one more time before the wire finally snapped into place mere seconds before Sarah grabbed hold of it. 'Thank god,' she mumbled in her head, making certain to take mental notes of which lever controlled which. Her relief soon disappeared, though, as the farthest line to the right snapped. The performer, Clement, was already heading there. A bit more haphazardly she pulled levers to and fro, but not fast enough. Clement fell from the broken swing, but luckily enough Genevieve was close enough to catch him. The youngest performer swung to the closest swing after Genevieve took the one opposite if him.

The music started quieting, something that almost made JJ feel a bit better. It was almost over, at least. She'd just have to do the best she could in the meantime. Soon enough another swing broke, but JJ remember which lever fixed it quickly. Thankfully she was correct and saved the acrobat from falling. Over the course of the rest of the song three more swings broke, but the liaison easily found them now that she knew what each lever controlled. Finally the music halted- the act was over. The four acrobats gave a showy bow before scurrying out of view. Cole made his way back to the center stage and offered JJ a smile. "Very well done," he praised. "I am quite impressed. Take a bow!" The blonde bitterly glared at the ringmaster, but she knew she didn't have any other choice than to oblige to his wishes. After her bow Benjamin escorted her back off stage. This time he didn't take anyone back with him- not yet, anyways. "Pay attention on stage," he whispered to the BAU agents. "It's in your best interest."

"Ladies and gentleman, that concludes the first quarter of the show. After sitting here for three hours, I'd assume you would all enjoy a break, yes? Please enjoy our concessions and bathrooms for a while as we set up in the next room for the second quarter. Thank you all for coming- We'll all see you in a bit!" Cole then tipped his hat to the audience and left. From behind the curtains came Derrick and Benjamin heading straight toward the group. The two men nodded grimly at each other before they revealed the knives they had hidden behind their backs.

~* House of Mirrors *~

"Agent Rossi, I demand to know where the rest of your team is," Unit Chief Erin Strauss snarled, her eyes darting from Will LaMontange to David Rossi. "Vacation is over. It's time to get back to work."

"Funny you mention 'It'," Rossi grumbled. 'Maybe if the psycho-clown was here, he could tell you what's going on'.

"I don't find this funny, Rossi, and neither should you. Now tell me- what's going on?"

The two men exchanged worried looks before nodding. The team would get help now- they were going to be saved. "JJ and myself wanted to take Henry to the circus, and we thought- since Reid and Garcia are their godparents- why not invite the rest of the BAU?" He paused in his narration, sighing before carrying on. "It was a bad idea." Unfortunately the man found himself unable to continue. Henry was safe, but his wife and her team weren't. The only reason he wasn't overwhelmed with guilt was because it meant his son was safe.

Rossi caught on to Will's lack of response and sighed. He couldn't blame him for it- if he was in Will's position he was more than positive he wouldn't want to share the grim tale, either. "It wasn't a circus after all. They were using it as a cover to get people to enter. The man in charge called himself Cole, but I'm still not positive I understand what he plans on doing with the team."

"You drove to this circus, correct?" Strauss sighed.

"Yes, ma'am," Will nodded.

"We could drive there again, but I highly doubt they'll still be there by the time we get there," Rossi supplied. "We may have been able to escape, but they were prepared to fight us. There are many people apart of this 'circus', and they've all been trained." The older profiler frowned, hoping that they'd be able to find their friends before it was too late. The problem, however, was how to profile criminals whose victims and any other witnesses besides themselves were still with them? They had no evidence or any other way to profile them besides what they already knew. They'd have to go back to the scene and hope someone got sloppy when they left in a hurry.

"We'll call SWAT and have them search the grounds. If they have in fact left then we'll look for evidence and go from there. Rossi, you'll be working with local police and whichever agents from the bureau we find available. Both of you will be questioned before the investigation starts, however. Is that understood?" Rossi and Will both nodded, knowing there was no point in arguing. "Good. Now, when you're both finished, I will allow Will to be briefed on anything we find concerning the investigation due to his past experience with law enforcement and his connection with the case. Ii cannot allow you to take part in the investigation, Will, and please don't take that for granted. I'm already breaching protocol by keeping you updated- don't make me regret it," she warned sternly.

"Yes, ma'am," Will nodded. "I appreciate it, thank you."

"Don't thank me," she sighed, "until after we've found your wife."

The sound of a phone ringing filled the air, and Strauss couldn't help but sigh. "Excuse me, I have to take this."

"Of course," Rossi nodded. "We'll make our way to the interrogation rooms now."

"Very well," she agreed. "I hope we can solve this quick and fairly painlessly." She then reached down and picked up her phone. The two men took that as their cue to leave, but before they could shut the door behind them Strauss added, "And good luck." Rossi and Will turned back to see a ghost of a smile flutter across Strauss's face. Rossi smiled back and offered an appreciative head nod. Will just kept a straight face and turned his head back to the door. His wife and her 'family' was missing- how could he even attempt to smile under the circumstances?"

Rossi shut the door behind them and placed a supportive hand on Will's shoulder. "We'll find them, you know that, right?"

Will nodded his head, though his eyes gave away the fact that he was lying. "Right, of course."


	6. A Lot of Weight

**Unedited, sorry folks. **

**House of Mirrors-A lot of Weight **

_The two men nodded grimly at each other before they revealed the knives they had hidden behind their backs. _

Before anyone on the BAU team knew it, their ties and duck tape were being ripped off. "The rule is simple," Benjamin started, "don't be an idiot." He then threw the ropes and tape into a bag that he had brought with him and nodded toward Derrick. "He's going to be watching over you and feeding you as you to your break. Use the bathroom, get medical attention, talk to each other now. Derrick has strict instructions to find me if there's talk of an escape, however, so keep your conversations to a minimum. You have an hour as of now." The assistant then walked away, leaving Derrick alone with the BAU.

"Is…Is everyone alright?" he asked nervously, obviously quick to fill the vacant air.

"We're fine," JJ smiled- the same smiled she used when dealing with families and friends of a victim.

"Thank you for asking," Hotch added quickly. "I do believe that we are a bit hungry, however-"

"Of, of course!" Derrick nodded with a sudden burst of energy. "I'm sorry. It'll be a bit longer- I'm just about to finish the meal for you guys. I hope you like it."

"I'm sure we'd love anything right now," Morgan joked. "Thanks, man."

"It's no problem," Derrick nodded nervously. Then, a bit less happily, he added, "I hope my food will make your stay here a bit less terrible. I'm…I'm sorry that you're in this situation."

Reid smiled sadly at the red-head. He obviously wasn't 'pleased' with the circus, so why was he here? How had he been forced to be the medical advisor-turned-cook of the circus? Reid pushed the questions aside, however. He still hadn't successfully profiled Cole or even Benjamin yet. No one was wearing a mask, so either his team was going to be killed anyways, of the circus staff had another way to disappear without being able to be tracked. Either was, something wasn't adding up- Reid just wasn't sure what it was.

"Excuse me," Derrick suddenly said, interrupting Reid's thoughts. "I'm going to go finish up your meals. I'll be back in a moment's time." As soon as he was out of hearing range, the BAU immediately started talking.

"How are you all?" Hotch asked first, breaking the silence. The only response he was given was a series of head nods, and Hotch mentally noted that he had asked a very stupid question. He was with profilers- of course they wouldn't answer anything but 'we're fine'. "If this was any other case, right now we'd be building a profile. The fact is that this isn't a regular case, though, and we don't have time to profile everyone."

"Which is why we're going to profile them by ourselves," Morgan sighed. "We profile whoever the hell we're given to help us with our 'act', and we use it to our advantage as soon as we can."

"Exactly," Hotch nodded. "But we all know the odds. We're not getting out of here until everyone completes their act…."

"And whatever events they give us in between," JJ murmured.

"I think we should consider planning who's going to go next," Prentiss sighed. "It's going to happen- and if my guess is right, it'll happen after the next two acts. I mean, I guess there's always the chance we won't need to, but we need to be prepared nonetheless."

"I think she's right," Garcia nodded. "I might not be a profiler, but if we don't pick someone right away next time to 'volunteer', I think that Cole might pick for us."

"Whoever goes cant be someone whose already preformed. We have to be prepared with a plan a and b…at the minimum," Reid supplied.

"All valid points," Hotch said, effectively cutting anyone else off from talking, "but we don't have much time. We need to find our plans quickly."

"I'll go next," Morgan volunteered.

"Then I'll go," Reid seconded.

"Me next," Garcia nodded.

"Good," Hotch nodded. "But in case any of you perform-Reid, Garcia, Morgan- be prepared to step up. If we need more volunteers after that, we'll go in the order-"

"Food's on," Derrick came back with a smile. Trays of food were in his hands, as were drinks and eating utensils. The red-head placed everything down on the table and motioned for the team to dig in. "If anyone needs in the bathroom, I can take you there."

"I wouldn't mind going, actually," Garcia admitted with a sigh.

"Me either," Prentiss nodded.

"Better now than never," Derrick nodded sadly. "Anyone else?" Reid and Hotch nodded their heads and quickly stood up. "Alright, let's go." The group of profilers followed Derrick toward the bathroom stalls, the circus 'employee' waiting outside the doors.

As their friends went to the bathroom, Morgan and JJ waited at the table. "The food looks good," JJ offered half-heartedly.

"The guy seems passionate about his food," Morgan nodded. "Think that might be how the circus met him?"

"I have no clue, Morgan," JJ replied, shaking her head. "All I know is that if we don't get out of here soon, I'm going to lose my mind."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Morgan scoffed. "And I'm _never _going to a circus again."

"Seconded," JJ murmured.

A few minutes later the group reappeared and finished up their meals. Soon enough Benjamin reappeared and nodded his head toward Morgan. "You're next," he said. The BAU agent sighed, but nonetheless he got up to join the man. He glanced at his team one more time before he turned around and followed Benjamin off toward the backstage area.

"Your friend will be fine," Derrick smiled, trying to be reassuring. His fake smile was immediately seen through, though, and it did little to comfort them. Immediately sensing the change of mood Derrick frowned and just sighed. "I have to take you back to the audience now," he added, disdain ever so present in his voice.

"Thank you for your kindness," Hotch nodded, his voice betraying his confident stance.

"It's the least I could do, unfortunately," Derrick replied grimly.

Seconds later the BAU was seated in the audience staring at a stage with their friend, Cole, and a large-built man along surrounded by equipment.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Cole smiled, "what we have next for you could be summed up with the phrase 'a lot of weight'. Our strongman, Nicholas, will be helping an audience member lift weights that are equivalent to an elephant. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the next act!"

Nicholas smiled as he lifted the weight opposite of him as if it were a piece of paper. "This weight, combined with the weight opposite of Derek Morgan, equals the amount of an adult elephant. Today I'm going to teach Derek here to lift them at the same time." As if to prove his point- and to show off, the BAU presumed- he lifted both the weights and flexed his muscles. Suddenly he tossed one of the weights at Morgan, and the agent stumbled as he tried to catch it. He cursed as he finally gained a hold on it- unfortunately with two hands.

"Good catch," Nicholas laughed, obviously not impressed, "but how will you fair with both weights? Because I'm nice, I'll give you a minute to figure out how to carry that with one hand before I throw this one at you. Ready? Go!"

Morgan's mind started panicking as he tried taking his one hand away from the weight. The first time he nearly dropped it, but seconds before his 60 seconds were off, he managed to hold it. It hurt like hell, obviously, but he was confident his grip was firm enough that he wouldn't drop it.

"Time is up, Derek Morgan," his companion announced. Then, without warning, he threw the weight at him. It nearly knocked Morgan over, but he caught it. "Pick them up- over your head!" The agent struggled to do so, but he very slowly completed the task. "Very good- applause, applause!" he chuckled cruelly. Morgan then threw the weights on the floor, almost certain that he had pulled or strained something…or a few somethings, really.

Cole slowly made his way onto the stage, a strategically placed smile on his face. "Very good, very good! Now go rest, you two. That didn't look like much fun at all! Thank you, audience. We will be back shortly with the next act."

Morgan was immediately escorted to Derrick, who was already waiting with ice packs, bandages, and cooling creams. "I'm sorry," Derrick mumbled as he motioned for Morgan to sit down. Morgan just sighed, but offered a small smile at Derrick. The younger man was just trying to help; the least he could do was cooperate.

Out to the audience walked Benjamin as the curtains on the stage closed. He smiled at the audience- duck-taped and tied again- before pointing to Garcia. "You're next."


	7. Double Feature

**Unedited so I could get it posted.  
><strong>**House of Mirrors- Double Feature **

As Garcia made her way on stage, Benjamin walked behind the small bench the BAU was sitting on. He then made his way to the other side of it and placed his hand on JJ's shoulder. "Go on, it's your turn, too." JJ's eyes went wide, but before anyone could respond she was being escorted onto the stage. Cole grinned side to side as the BAU agents were forced onto the center stag spotlight. "Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen," Cole greeted once the stage was resituated. "To celebrate the second half the show, we have a special double feature! Our lovely guests here- JJ and Penelope- will be performing for you."

Then, from the corner of the stage, three young women still dressed in the circus's theme appeared back on the stage. "Audience, please welcome back Silas and Clement, and welcome Jamie for the first time to the stage." Cole applauded as the three performers bowed. They quickly popped back up at the same time and arranged themselves on either side of the two profilers. Cole nodded at the three circus freaks before turning his attention back to the bench in the middle of the room surrounding the stage. "Jamie is our juggler this year, and in case you've forget, Silas and Clement are two of our acrobats. Jamie will be working with Penelope, and the other two will be with JJ. Ladies, I hope you're ready- let the show begin!" Cole then took a quick bow and walked off stage.

JJ and Garcia's eyes widened as they shared horrified looks. They were screwed. Fortunately they didn't have time to think of what might go wrong, as they were soon whisked to the sideline by the three ladies as ropes were thrown from the ceiling. "I'm sorry," Silas whispered before placing a hand on JJ's shoulder. "Just follow our lead and you should be okay."

"Yeah, same here," Jamie sighed to Garcia. "Juggling shouldn't be too hard for you to catch on to as long as you watch me a few times before you try. It should be easy enough….hopefully."

"Hopefully," Garcia repeated, nodding her head.

"Now, let the show begin!"

Without any further warning, the two acrobats jumped up on their ceiling swings, pulling JJ up with them. The profiler yelped as she was thrown up in the air, and narrowly did she finally catch on to one of the swings. Seconds later, just as she finally had found a balance, Silas came by and swooped her up and off of her branch. "I'm sorry," the performer whispered before passing her off to Clement. Only then did she catch on to what the performers were doing- they were placing her exactly where she needed to be before she fell trying to do it herself and so she wouldn't just stay still and have Cole yell at her. A small smile graced her face as she turned toward Clement. 'Thank you,' she mouthed. Clement just smiled back before passing her off to the nearest bar.

On the ground Jamie threw a series of rings up in the air. Her eyes flickered over to Garcia before she nodded. It was her turn to try out the 'stunt'. The blonde technical analysis took a deep breath before bracing herself to catch the rings. It seemed simple enough, really. How hard could it be? Finally the ring was tossed at her and interrupted her thoughts. Thankfully she had been paying attention enough to catch it, and without hesitation she threw it back to Jamie. The juggler smiled at her kindly before throwing the next to, this time a bit quicker. Soon enough the rings were flying back and forth between the two of them without skipping a beat.

"Come on," Cole hollered from the sidelines, "make it interesting!"

"Slow down a little bit," Jamie whispered to Garcia. "We have to switch rings."

"To what?" Garcia frowned. She had a feeling whatever they were about to use was just a little too interesting for her.

"The fire sticks."

Without any warning Jamie threw the ring in her hand down and swapped it for said stick. She tossed it at Garcia, who nervously caught it. Soon enough they were juggling with three stick of fire instead of three plastic rings.

"Are you okay?" Jamie asked, trying to distract Garcia from her thoughts.

At that very moment Garcia almost dropped a stick. Luckily she caught it, but unluckily she burnt herself doing that. Jamie made a face, obviously catching it out of the corner of her eye. "I'm fine," Garcia smiled. "It'll be fine." Jamie just smiled; she wasn't convinced.

Up in the air Clement and Silas were frowning at each other as they pushed JJ back and away from them. "He's expecting tricks," Silas sneered. "This isn't going to end well."

"I've got an idea," Clement said quickly. "Whenever we have to do a trick, we make sure JJ's in between us so that he won't see her. Is that okay, JJ?"

"I don't have any other ideas," JJ sighed, nodding her head. "That's fine with me."

"Let's do it," Silas sighed.

The two acrobats grabbed either hand on JJ and flipped in the air, giving the appearance that JJ was flipping too. In reality they had let go of her hands so that she could grab on to the bar and swing back and forth. The mirage seemed to be working, too, as Cole clapped and applauded as they flipped and twirled through the air.

Finally, Cole ran up to the center of the stage and called the acrobats down. Jamie caught the sticks one by one as Garcia threw them at her. Seconds later the sticks were out of flames and went crashing down to the floor. The performers gathered around Cole and waited there for further instruction. "Thank you, everyone, thank you! You were all fantastic, as I'm sure the audience would agree. Now, off with you all! The show isn't over yet!"

As the two FBI agents were escorted off stage, Benjamin made his way back to the audience. The assistant stopped in front of Reid and motioned for the young man to stand. "You're next," he informed.

~* HoM * ~

Rossi and Will came back from the circus grounds with a bit less evidence than they were hoping for. Fortunately they had found enough- a brush with hair on it, a few broken and torn up tents, and a few other little things that may or may not lead to the help of them finding where the circus ended up next. Now they sat in the BAU office waiting for the evidence to be scanned and for their interviews to finally begin. "You need to know we'll find them-" Rossi started, but he was interrupted by Agent Anderson running into the room.

"Agent Rossi, Will, we've got something," he smiled as he slowed down to a halt.

"What is it?" Will asked hopefully.

"We know where the circus went."


	8. Danger Days

**A/N: Danger Days and Frankie were both 'stolen' from MCR. Posting what's left of the story unedited and taking a leave of absence from Fanfiction for a while. Thanks guys.**

**House of Mirrors- Danger Days **

Will and Rossi wasted no time waiting for an explanation. Together they hopped into an SUV with the rest of Anderson's BAU team, and only then did they prompt Anderson to explain how they had figured out where the rest of the team was.

"We were able to get tire treads from the original scene," Anderson started, "and from there it was a piece of cake. Kevin pulled up close-by gas station cameras and found the same circus-themed van that was spotted where your team was kidnapped. Using that information we were able to track down the van using various street cameras and credible witnesses."

"That easily?" Will murmured. "If we found them that easily, why haven't they been stopped sooner?"

"Because no one knew there was a connection before now," Rossi sighed. "This is the first time anyone's gotten away, too."

"So where are they now?" Will asked, effectively changing the topic.

"Not that much farther up the road," Anderson said. "They're in some town called Platonic. The last known whereabouts of their vehicle was a grassy area not far from a local hot spot."

"He's getting sloppy," Rossi nodded. "This is going to be Cole's last circus, and he think he knows that too."

"That doesn't sound like a good thing," Will grumbled.

Rossi frowned before shaking his. "It's not."

~* HoM *~

"Ladies and Gentlemen, get ready for our next performance featuring Spencer Reid and Frankie!" Cole applauded as he threw his hand in the signaling for Derrick to draw the curtains. As the curtains pulled back a large tank of water with Reid and a black-haired man standing next to it. The audience's eyes grew large with terror, all of them knowing what was about to happen now. "Our magicians tonight will be performing an underwater stunt. Spencer here will be handcuffed and thrown into the tank. He must manage to unlock himself before time runs out and he stops breathing. Frankie will be supervising the tank in case this situation does occur, in which case the event will be unsuccessfully performed." The hidden meaning behind those words- and the added 'and then I get to kill you', of course- didn't go unnoticed by the BAU. "Now, please enjoy the show!"

The BAU team watched in horror as Reid was slammed underwater. Frankie stood next to their friend the whole time, a timer in his hand. The time ticked away in a slow, dramatic way that was almost clichéd. The terror, also clichéd, filled the team as Reid struggled underneath the weight of all the water. The could all tell that he was struggling, but none of them were willing to think that he might not survive.

Spencer Reid took a deep breath. He couldn't panic; it would waste too much of the little air he had left. 'Concentrate!', he yelled at himself. 'How can I get myself out of these cuffs?' Reid dared opened his eyes, and because he didn't have time to adjust, immediately went searching for something. At first there appeared to be nothing, but as he looked closer, he saw it. He almost smiled as he dove down deeper. If he could reach it and successfully pick the lock, then he was home free. The agent's fingers intertwined in the small bobby pin, but he dropped it just as quickly as he picked it up. He cursed at himself before trying again. Once more he dropped it, and he started to worry. Time was quickly running out, and he still didn't even have the pin.

"I hope your friend hurries up," Frankie smiled. "He's going to run out of breath soon!" The entire BAU fought back the urge to slap Frankie, not that they could even if they wanted to. Benjamin was blocking the way to the stage, and they were all sure he wouldn't let them even try getting up from their seats.

Back in the tank, Reid tried for the pin one more time. The profiler was uncertain if he could survive not getting it this time, and he knew that too much was at stake for him not to. With his remaining breath he pulled himself closer to the bottom and caught it. He had it- he could escape now. Almost haphazardly, he desperately fumbled with the lock and pin before he heard a 'click'. His arms were let free and he was able to take off the weights tied to his ankles. Without hesitation he then threw himself above the water and took a long, deep breath.

Cole's face dramatically fell. Reid was alive- he had outsmarted the tank! His eyes locked on Frankie, but the magician refused to look back at him. He had done something to help him escape! As Reid climbed out of the water, he realized how he had helped him almost immediately: he put a bobby pin in the tank.

"NO!" Cole roared angrily. He suddenly lunged at the younger man until he had been pulled across the room and right out the glass sides of the room. The two men plunged to the floor below them and into a what appeared to be a swimming pool….

A swimming pool filled with blood, that is.

Frankie ran off the stage until he was side-by-side with Benjamin. "This has gone on far enough," he hissed as Derrick too rushed to join the two. "Call the police; we have to stop him!"

"I already did," Derrick said grimly. "I gave them an anonymous tip after we left our first location and made sure they had enough evidence to see where we were going. They should be here anytime now."

"Good," Frankie nodded, "but in the meantime, we have to stop Cole!"

"I'll untie the rest of them," Derrick volunteered. "You two can started heading down, alright?"

"Sounds good," Benjamin nodded. "We'll see you soon!" Without another word, Benjamin and Frankie rushed down the stair case. Derrick watched them for a moment before turning back to the BAU. He frowned before he lowered himself down to their level.

"I'm so sorry," was the last thing Aaron Hotchner heard before he bolted from the room.

~* HoM *~

The building was surrounded within minutes of arrival. Will, despite much argument, had to wait in the car with an armed officer. Rossi was now leading a group of SWATs and BAU agents up to the building.

It was time to get his team back.

~* HoM *~

Reid didn't even know what had happened.

All feeling had left his body, and his mind wouldn't register what Cole had done, couldn't register that he was actually in a pool of blood.

"You can't survive! No one can!" Cole hissed. "All this? This is the blood of all the other ones! Your blood belongs here, too!"

Reid remained quiet. He knew that saying the wrong thing now would lead to his ultimate demise. He couldn't afford to take that risk right now.

Reid struggled to remain conscious as Cole mercilessly shoved him underneath the blood. He held his breath to the best of his ability, trying to close his mouth before he was thrust underneath again. His mind was starting to panic, though. The blood was seeping into his mouth, and he was forced to either swallow it or suffocate on it. All that human blood- there was just so much! Eventually it all became too much, and before Reid even knew it, everything went black.


	9. The Most Unfortunate Ending

**House of Mirrors- The Most Unfortunate Ending **

No one saw it coming-well, no one even knew _how _it had happened.

Derrick was in the bloody pool now after having rushed passed the other two circus 'employees' and straight into the bloody pool. He threw himself on top of Cole and forced the older man under. He spotted Reid out of the corner of his eye and immediately let go of Cole. Reid wasn't breathing. "Damn it!" Derrick hissed. He swam as best as he could over to him and pulled him out of the pool. Alec came dashing to the side of the pool and took Reid from Derrick. "Get him breathing!" the redhead shouted. Before he could pull himself out of the pool, however, something- or rather _someone_- grabbed hold of his leg and pulled him back under again.

"Derrick!" Frankie screamed as he jumped into the pool. "NO!"

But he was too late. The younger man had gasped before he had been pulled under, and as a result he was now choking on blood. Frankie tried pulling him up, but it was already too late. He had been under too longer- but so had Cole. Frankie felt as the fighting halted, his heart sinking. Cole was dead….

And so was Derrick.

Reluctantly Frankie pulled himself out of the blood pool. After wiping the blood from his eyes he focused in on Reid and Alec, the latter of which who was staring at him with wide eyes. "I'm so sorry," Frankie whispered, "but I couldn't get your brother. Derrick- he's dead."

"It's not your fault," Alec whispered grimly. "It's not….your fault."

Morgan, who had been frozen in the doorway with the rest of the BAU, finally made his way toward his agent. He watched as Alec leaned away from Reid, obviously trying his best not to break down right then and there. Morgan came down to his level and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's over now," he said. "You don't have to be in this circus anymore."

Then, as David Rossi and the SWAT team entered the room, Alec finally turned his gaze over to Morgan.

"Good."

~*HoM*~

Aaron Hotchner and JJ ran through the halls of the circus, opening every door in sight until they finally reached the end of the hallway. "He has to be there," Hotch mumbled breathlessly.

"Jack's fine," JJ nodded. "He is in there." She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince herself or her boss, but as he opened the door of the room, she smiled. There Jack was in what appeared to be someone's bedroom- safe and sound. The toddler was laying down on an oversized bed with some sort of game on his lap. As they looked around the room they realized saw a piece of paper with the name 'Derrick' on it. It had to be Derrick's room- and at that moment Hotch realized that his son was most likely still safe because of the red-headed man. He ran over to his son and hugged him. Jack yawned tiredly before returning the hug. "Can we go home now, daddy?"

"Not just yet, Jack," Hotch sighed. "We have to make a quick stop really fast…"

"Hotch, maybe that's not such a great idea," JJ frowned. "I don't think we should take him down there, just in case…"

'Just in case someone's dead,' Hotch filled in the blanks grimly. "Right, of course," he nodded. "Can you take him outside? I have to make sure-"

"Go help Reid," JJ nodded, taking Jack from him. "We'll be fine."

~* Two Days Later *~

"We normally don't do this, but under the current circumstances, we believe an exception should be named."

SSAs Aaron Hotchner, Derek Morgan, and Emily Prentiss all scanned over the crowd of nine before them. By now they knew the horrid story behind what had happened at the circus and knew that they were actually the victims. The courts wouldn't see it that way, of course.

"We thank you for you generosity, then," the red-eyed Alec said, regret oozing from his every word.

Prentiss ignored the comment and kept up with the momentum of the interview. She already knew the answer to the question she was about to ask, but she also knew she was legally obligated to ask it again- this time with a recorder on and ready. "Could you please tell us how you all ended up in the circus with Colby Matterson?"

"It wasn't by choice," Benjamin James replied quickly, his voice hoarse. "I knew Cole Matterson. He and I grew up in the same foster home. But then one day he ran away, and he begged me to go with him. And I did. Eventually, however, the couple who wanted to adopt me found me and took me home and Cole back at the orphanage. I never knew what had happened to him after that. But I suspected the worse, and I didn't want to think about that." The older man then turned his head toward Frankie, who nodded in understanding. It was his turn to tell his part of the story.

"And then he met me a few years later. Benjamin had gotten his life in order, but then the world came crashing down again after he turned 25. His wife and daughter were killed in a car accident, he slipped into depression, and he ended up losing his job. The world hadn't been any kinder to me or Cole, however. Cole had become a druggie, and I had become his dealer. And one day, the unthinkable happened: all three of us met at the same time- me to sell, the other two to buy. By this point, sadly, Cole had completely lost it. He started talking about these fantasies with circuses and bloody pools….The thing was, however, it wasn't a fantasy. Benjamin and I had always assumed it wasn't real, but one day the three of us had gotten high together and discovered how wrong we were. Cole told us that he wanted to show us his circus. The two of us decided to prove him wrong once and for all and prove that he was making it up, so we agreed to go along. Unfortunately, it had been us in the wrong. Sure enough there were four people there, that same bloody pool- just not as filled, of course- with the same acts as before. We got spooked and tried leaving, but Cole pulled out a gun and told us, 'welcome to Hell, boys'. And we never left again."

"What about the rest of you?" Hotch frowned.

"We were hand-chosen for the most part," Silas answered. "Cole had came to the circus that Jamie, Alec, Genevieve, and myself had been apart of. He threatened to hurt us and our family. Of course we all went- we didn't really have a choice. He took Sarah and Nicholas from the same circus under the same conditions as well. The only two who I'm really unsure about are Clement and Derrick," he admitted.

"And earlier you said that Derrick was your brother, right Alec?" Morgan questioned. "Do you know who they were chosen?"

"Derrick was my brother, yes," Alec nodded, "but no, I don't know how Cole got him, because I hadn't seen Cole since I was seven and he was two. My parents split. I got lucky, though, and got my mom. The courts split me and Derrick apart, however, and he wasn't so lucky. My heroine-junkie of a dad worked with his friends in the system to get him, and I never saw either of them again," he sighed. Benjamin and Frankie were the only two people who even knew we were related. Hell, I don't even think Derrick recognized me at the circus."

"I remember the day Clement came in," Jamie suddenly blurted out. "Cole had drugged Clement in unconscious, mumbling something about how he'd be so much better off with him. That was about two years ago, I believe, but to this day I'm still unsure of anything more than that."

Clement, for his part, remained silent. It was well-established that he had no memory of his 'past life.' What could he contribute to the conversation?

"What about Derrick?" Hotch asked, his eyes focusing away from Clement.

"I'd never seen him before until I wandered into the kitchen one day," Nicholas said. "That was over five years ago, but to be honest I think that he had been there longer."

"Why do you say that?" Morgan questioned.

"The tallies on the back wall," Sarah piped it "I remember that now," she agreed.

"How many were there?" Prentiss frowned.

"Well over 3,000 at lowest count," Benjamin answered through gritted teeth.

The three BAU agents exchanged glances before turning back over to the circus group. Immediately they all realized they were hiding something from them, and they were starting to think that the BAU knew more about the situation than they were letting on.

Finally Clement cleared his throat and immediately earned the attention of the agents. He had been lied to all his life just like the others- it was time they knew the truth. "You know what really happened, don't you?" he accused. When he was met with no reply he calmly nodded his head and tried again. "Tell us what happened- tell us the whole story."

"Clement, we can't tell you-" Morgan started, but Prentiss cut him off.

"Colby and Benjamin were both raised together in an orphanage called 'Children of Hope'. One day, a man came in and said he wanted to adopt Colby. Maybe you remember how Colby was a bit off that day back in '85, Benjamin. You were 10- he was 15."

Benjamin looked thoughtful for a moment before something clicked. "It was in December, a week before Christmas. I remember now," he nodded. "Cole- he was so hopeful and so happy, though I think deep down he didn't think that he'd actually get adopted. And…And I remember that after the interview he got really quiet. He didn't talk for weeks."

"Was someone from the adoption agency in the room with him during the interview?" Prentiss asked.

Benjamin's face suddenly paled. "They hurt him, didn't they? He-he wouldn't take baths for weeks, wouldn't even change…"

"He didn't want you to see the bruises," Prentiss sighed. "This company, the 'Children of Hope', closed down two years ago after at least thirty-four confirmed cases of children being 'interviewed', like Cole had been by these strangers. They found out that the company was being paid by numerous different child molesters in exchange for having an hour alone with a child of their choice," she explained with a frown.

"On that list of confirmed cases were Cole, Clement…and, and Derrick. The abuse started for Cole when he was 15, the first being that one day we just talked about. Clement was around the same age. But Derrick-Derrick was eight," Morgan said.

Alec's face dropped. His father had abandoned his brother and left him in an orphanage of pedophiles. Sarah threw an arm around him for support, knowing it was all she could do.

"The abuse drove Cole to alcohol and drug abuse. He finally ran away from the orphanage a week before his 17th birthday. Ever since he'd worked on finding some way to get revenge and save those other boys. And then he found the abandoned circus. It was the perfect cover, and no one would suspect it," Prentiss said.

"He ran test trials to create the most beneficial way for him to get his revenge. He killed dozens of people on these trials, and he kept every ounce of their blood as part of his fantasy. It was his MO, and that's how local police made the connections. Cole left the bodies drained of blood out at local dumpsites until he finally perfected his make-shift circus," Hotch supplied.

"And then he created fliers and left them on the steps of the orphanage. They came out, he took the three boys, let the other boys go, and attempted to kill the owners of the orphanage. They recognized him, though, and immediately left the circus. They didn't leave quick enough, however, because he was still able to kidnap both Clement and Derrick." Prentiss ended the explanation there. They didn't need to know what else happened after that; they already knew.

"Derrick….Did he, did he…?" Alec started to stammer out, but he was interrupted by the sound of a door opening.

"I'm sorry," a female officer frowned, "but your time's up."

The three BAU agents didn't know if they should be relieved or saddened. No one deserved to go through what the nine individuals in front of them had. The courts wouldn't see it that way, however, and that thought alone was enough to make the case seem like a 'lose'.

Finally Benjamin stood to his feet and extended his hand to the three of them. "Thank you," he said, "for listening to our side of the story, and for telling us the truth."

"It's our job," Morgan replied, nodding.

"Yeah well, I think we all know that that's not always enough for some people to do it," Benjamin mumbled. They ignored that comment, though, unsure how to respond or take it. "I trust that agent's okay?" he added as the officer who had knocked on the door placed handcuffs on him.

Hotch only nodded his head before darting out the room.

His son was waiting for him, after all.

~* HoM *~

When Spencer Reid woke up he was greeted by darkness. Almost immediately he started freaking out. His mind automatically thought over the events of the last few days, but as soon as he thought of the bloody pool, he automatically paled. He was going to be sick…

Suddenly the lights flashed on and his desire to vomit increased. Luckily the nurse entering seemed to catch on to his distress fairly quickly and placed a small garbage can underneath the agent's mouth. "It's okay," she shushed.

"Is he awake?" another voiced asked as it made its way into the room. Penelope Garcia frowned once she heard the retching noises coming from the room and immediately paused in the doorway. JJ and Will found their way to the room shortly after as well, both of them frowning as Garcia had just seconds earlier.

"Unfortunately," the nurse sighed. "It'll be happening a lot after all that he's been through today." Finally Reid stopped vomiting, and the nurse took the garbage bin away.

"Hey," Reid mumbled, his cheeks bright red.

"How's it going?" Garcia asked as she gave her 'junior g-man' a big hug.

"I've seen better days." It hadn't been the first time he had said those words, which bothered his team members the most. "What, what exactly happened after…after I was thrown in?"

JJ frowned before nodding, mentally preparing herself to tell her friend what had happened. "After you went under, Derrick jumped in after you. He got you away from Cole, and he was able to pull you up, but unfortunately…" JJ shook her head. 'Here comes the fun part,' she thought

"He didn't make it, Sweetie." Garcia said grimly. "Alec and Silas tried helping, but it was just too late. Cole dragged Derrick under, and neither of them survived."

"Oh," was all Reid could say. Finally he seemed to process what had happened and sighed. "How's Jack? What happened to him?"

"Cole had been an orphan," Will said, "and he was abused. He wouldn't touch Jack, so he had him locked up in Derrick's room. He's with Hotch right now."

"Everyone else is okay, too," JJ smiled. "We made it."

"Good," Reid almost smiled. But his energy was very limited, and he was still in pain. He had just been thrown through a window and drowned in a pool of blood, after all. A little fatigue was a small price to pay.

"Knock, knock," Morgan grinned as he walked in the door. "Lookin' good, Pretty Boy."

"Thanks," Reid scoffed with a smile.

"You guys got room for a few more?" Prentiss asked as she walked into the room with the rest of the team. The standing BAU agents in the room scooted over to make room for the new comers. Finally their hellish nightmare was over, and they were all back together.

"I wonder what will happen to the other circus guys," JJ mumbled, breaking the silence.

"They're being prosecuted with murder, kidnap, and aggravated assault. They'll be spending life in prison," Hotch frowned.

"But they were forced into it," Rossi argued.

"The courts didn't see it that way," Hotch sighed.

"After all that's happened to them, they don't need jail to add to that," Morgan shook his head. "I mean, yeah, I'm pissed that they helped fueled the torture, but they didn't have a choice. They had to feed into his fantasy to stay alive."

"It's not up to us," Hotch cut in. "Talking about it won't change the results, either."

"Right," Prentiss nodded. Morgan, and the rest of the team, could tell that that hadn't reassured her very much. Instead of pressing the matter, however, she changed the topic. "I think Reid fell to sleep."

"We should be heading home," Hotch nodded. "Jack's with Haley's sister now, but I'm sure she's getting tired of babysitting, and I'm sure all of you are getting tired by now."

"I'm not leaving," Morgan said. Any other day, any other agent, and Hotch would have argued- and everyone knew it, too. But not today. So Hotch just nodded, and with the rest of the team, he stood up.

"Good night, Morgan," JJ said. "Take care of yourself…..and him."

"Don't I always?" Morgan grinned in return.

JJ and Will just shook their heads. "See you tomorrow."

Then, as they walked out of the room, Morgan did what he had wanted to do since he'd gotten to the hospital. He turned off the lights, shut the door, and went to bed.

It'd been one hell of a week, after all.

-The End-


End file.
